THE parents of 13-year-old N. Revnesh Kumar, who died suddenly on January 16 – weeks after taking his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – are dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting held yesterday with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. 

Despite getting information on the latest development in the investigation and with the ministry committing to identify the cause of the boy’s death, mother Vijayarani Govindan said officials at the meeting were trying their best to write off the possibility that Revnesh died due to the vaccine. 

“The way they tried to explain my son’s death was as if he did not die due to the vaccine, but it was due to some other reason, including allergy or some heart issue,” Vijayarani told The Malaysian Insight.

She said she was disappointed with health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, whom she claimed told them that any reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination could be seen within 48 hours and not after weeks.

“Noor Hisham said at the meeting that if the cause of death was due to the vaccine, then it could be identified within 48 hours because he said the vaccine recipient would have a reaction to it (by then),” she said. 

“He said my son’s death was 18 days after he took the first dose. So he claimed that we could not entirely blame the Covid-19 vaccine for his death.”

She said Noor Hisham’s explanation contradicts what the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency pharmacovigilance division head Dr Azuana Ramli had said. 

Azuana had earlier told the media that side effects from Covid-19 vaccination usually occur within 30 days.

“Even the experts contradict themselves. One saying within two days, the other saying 30 days,” said Vijayarani. 

“In the end, they are not concerned because Revnesh is my son and we are the ones who ended up suffering.” 

It was reported by The Malaysian Insight that the parents had demanded the authorities clarify their only child’s cause of death.

She said Revnesh received his first Pfizer Covid-19 jab at Klinik Kesihatan in Presint 18, Putrajaya, on December 30 last year and was scheduled to receive the second dose on January 20.

He was reported to have collapsed in the elevator of his housing block on January 16 while his way to a karate class and was rushed to Kajang Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

The reason for his death was unexplained despite an autopsy. 

At yesterday’s meeting, Khairy said the results of Revnesh’s post-mortem and other tests, including histology examination, will be tabled and discussed by forensic experts during a peer review on Monday.

He said the review was to ascertain the cause of death. 

He also said the reports would be given to the parents upon the peer-review session.

Tissue samples would also be sent to other countries for further tests, Khairy said in a statement yesterday following the meeting. 

Vijayarani said it looks as if the ministry is trying to cover up the actual cause of her son’s death, which she strongly believes was caused by the Covid-19 vaccine.

She said the forensic pathologist who did the initial post-mortem on her son had not found any damage or infections. 

“Looks like they don’t have experts here to ascertain the cause of death. That is why they want to send tissue samples abroad. When asked which country, they did not know and weren’t able to give me an answer as they said it was a very rare case,” she said.

“Good that they are planning to send the tissue samples abroad, but I feel that these are all part of delaying tactics.

“If they are planning to send them abroad, I’m not sure what the Monday meeting is for. 

“Probably, they are just reluctant to accept that my healthy son, who had no other medical condition, died due to the Covid-19 vaccine.” 

Submission of memorandum

Meanwhile, two human rights groups – Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) and Malaysia Tamilar Munnetra Kalagam – are planning to gather at the Health Ministry on Wednesday to submit a memorandum to the minister. 

GHRF president S. Shashi Kumar said the memorandum is pertaining to the death of Revnesh, schools forcing children to take the Covid-19 vaccine and the government forcing the booster dose on healthy adults. 

“It has been more than 50 days since Revnesh’s death and the Health Ministry has failed to advise on the cause of his death,” he said. 

“Also, we will urge the government not to force schoolchildren or those below the age of 18 to take the Covid-19 vaccination or booster shots.

“The government should also stop enforcing booster shots for healthy adults, in view of numerous cases of side effects.”

Earlier, Vijayarani said they were “pressured” by his school to inoculate her son, who had been reluctant to take the jab.

She claimed that Revnesh’s class teacher said the school would bar him from the premises if he was not vaccinated. – March 5, 2022.